A Brief History of Human Culture in the 20th Century

Description

This book examines the cultural concepts that guided the development of the “age of mankind”— the changes that took place in historical, philosophical, scientific, religious, literary, and artistic thought in the 20th century. It discusses a broad range of major topics, including the spread of commercial capitalism; socialist revolutions; the two world wars; anti-colonialist national liberation movements; scientific progress; the clashes and fusion of Eastern and Western cultures; globalization; women’s rights movements; mass media and entertainment; the age of information and the digital society. The combination of cultural phenomena and theoretical descriptions ensures a unity of culture, history and logic. Lastly, the book explores the enormous changes in lifestyles and the virtualized future, revealing cultural characteristics and discussing 21st -century trends in the context of information technology, globalization and the digital era. Front Matter ....Pages i-xlii Thinkers Standing on the Threshold of the Century (Qi Xin)....Pages 1-24 Human Joys and Sorrows in the Process of Industrialization (Qi Xin)....Pages 25-45 The Sensual Culture in Commercialized Civilization (Qi Xin)....Pages 47-57 Rallying Call of the Twentieth Century—War, Revolution and the Downfall of Fascism (Qi Xin)....Pages 59-87 The Impact of Science and Technology on Culture (Qi Xin)....Pages 89-121 Clashes Between Eastern Culture and Western Culture (Qi Xin)....Pages 123-140 Social Mobility, Women’s Liberation and Globalization (Qi Xin)....Pages 141-154 From “Modernism” to “Post-modernism”—Fission of Literature, Arts and Society (Qi Xin)....Pages 155-186 Harbinger of the Digital Era (Qi Xin)....Pages 187-208 Today’s Afterglow and Tomorrow’s Aurora (Qi Xin)....Pages 209-233 Prophetic Contemplation on the Eve of a New Century (Qi Xin)....Pages 235-269 Back Matter ....Pages 271-275